Realised project | vacation home | Jun 2016

Summer residence

Vacation home by the water

In my sabbatical year, I worked full time as a carpenter assistant, constructing and renovating houses and gaining empiric knowledge about the craft. I was hired to design and partake in the construction of a vacation home in Ebeltoft, Denmark. I was in the entire process from sketch to final building. I was also corresponding with the regional office, submitting technical drawings and acquiring the building approvals.

The main idea was to create a 100 m2 building, which had a 200 m2 suspended timber terrace around it - allowing the inhabitants to move barefoot around the house. The entire floor structure rests upon strip walls of concrete and consists of long beams of timber. This made for an easy and affordable construction which allows the surrounding nature to rapidly regrow and merge with the terrace. The slanted roof creates an open interior space, where the central living area is directly connected to the alcoves on the loft. Movable kitchen units, extend-able tables and an open floor plan allow for flexible use and can suit a varied number of occupants.

Construction details

The roof is slanted at a 17-degree angle and at the eave, two slanted gutters is leading the water towards both ends. The slope must be at least 1/20.

The beams of the terrace is an extension of the once holding the flooring of the house. They are also placed on strip foundation - separated by building paper. The terrace is hereby elevated off the ground and ventilated.